A JetBlue Airways pilot reported narrowly avoiding a midair collision with a U.S. military aircraft after the jet departed Curaçao on Friday, according to air traffic control recordings and the airline.

The incident occurred as the JetBlue aircraft was climbing after takeoff from the Dutch Caribbean island, located near Venezuela. In communications captured on ATC recordings, the pilot told controllers that the crew was forced to halt its ascent when a U.S. Air Force aerial refueling aircraft entered the jet’s flight path at the same altitude.

The military aircraft was “directly in front” of the JetBlue plane and within five miles, the pilot said, adding that the encounter occurred shortly after departure.

According to the recordings, the pilot told air traffic control that the military aircraft appeared to be headed toward Venezuelan airspace. The controller responded that the aircraft was not visible on radar because its transponder was turned off and it was not transmitting its position.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the pilot said on the recording. “They passed directly in our flight path. They don’t have their transponder turned on — it’s outrageous.”

JetBlue confirmed the incident but did not report any injuries. Further details about the military aircraft or the circumstances surrounding the encounter were not immediately available.